1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor apparatus including a semiconductor element, more particularly, to a semiconductor apparatus suitable for ensuring mechanical strength against external force.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor laser apparatus includes a semiconductor laser chip and is composed of a lead frame which functions as a mounting surface for the semiconductor laser chip and as a terminal, a molded resin portion to enclose and integrate the semiconductor laser chip and the lead frame, and so on. Such a structure is disclosed, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2003-31885.
When the semiconductor laser apparatus is mounted or is already mounted on various kinds of substrates and equipment, considerable external force is sometimes applied thereto. For example, when the semiconductor laser apparatus is used for reading from and writing to an optical disk device, there exists a process for pressing the semiconductor laser-apparatus into a pick-up head case,in which considerable external force is applied. In this case, mechanical robustness is required for the semiconductor laser apparatus.
In particular, the lead frame is usually plate-shaped and vulnerable to external force such as bending and twisting. As described above, the lead frame is a mounting surface for a semiconductor element such as a semiconductor laser chip and a substrate on which the semiconductor element is placed, and it is fixed for mounting, for example, by an adhesive. However, if the lead frame is transformed by external force, large stress is applied to an adhesive layer and the mounted element.